{"id":8951,"date":"2019-07-04T17:38:46","date_gmt":"2019-07-04T16:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pamap.accessfertility.com\/ie\/?p=648"},"modified":"2025-05-15T14:50:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T13:50:24","slug":"reducing-risk-miscarriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accessfertility.com\/ie\/reducing-risk-miscarriage\/","title":{"rendered":"Reducing the risk of miscarriage"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is a miscarriage?<\/h4>\n

Miscarriages are heart breaking. A miscarriage is classified as a spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week. As most people are aware, the most crucial time for pregnancy, and when most miscarriages happen, is within the first trimester or 12-13 weeks. Once a pregnancy reaches the 12 week mark the risk of miscarriage falls dramatically.<\/p>\n

How common are miscarriages?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s estimated that around 10-20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. However, the actual number is likely higher because many miscarriages occur so early in pregnancy that a woman doesn’t realise she’s pregnant. The rate of miscarriage increases as women get older with over 40% of pregnancies ending in miscarriage for those over 40.<\/p>\n

Who is at greater risk of miscarriages?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Various factors increase the risk of miscarriage:<\/p>\n

Age:<\/strong> As you get older, especially after age 35, your risk for chromosome problems specifically, and miscarriage in general, increases. Therefore, women older than age 35 have a higher risk of miscarriage than younger women. At age 35, you have about a 20 percent risk. At age 40, the risk is about 40 percent. And at age 45, it’s about 80 percent.<\/p>\n

Previous miscarriages.<\/strong>\u00a0Women who have had two or more consecutive miscarriages are at higher risk of miscarriage.<\/p>\n

Chronic conditions.<\/strong>\u00a0Women who have a chronic condition, such as uncontrolled diabetes, have a higher risk of miscarriage.<\/p>\n

Uterine or cervical problems.<\/strong>\u00a0Certain uterine abnormalities or weak cervical tissues (incompetent cervix) might increase the risk of miscarriage.<\/p>\n

Smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs.<\/strong>\u00a0Women who smoke during pregnancy have a greater risk of miscarriage than do non-smokers. Heavy alcohol use and illicit drug use also increase the risk of miscarriage.<\/p>\n

Weight.<\/strong>\u00a0Being underweight or being overweight has been linked with an increased risk of miscarriage.<\/p>\n

Invasive prenatal tests.<\/strong>\u00a0Some invasive prenatal genetic tests carry a slight risk of miscarriage but you will be informed about this in more detail by your clinic, if you should need these procedures.<\/p>\n

As always, if you are trying to conceive you should ask your GP for advice or to discuss any concerns.<\/p>\n

What are the causes of miscarriage?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Abnormal genes or chromosomes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people worry that a miscarriage has occurred because of something they’ve done, however most miscarriages occur because the foetus isn’t developing normally. About 50 percent of miscarriages are associated with extra or missing chromosomes. Chromosomes contain the genes that determine your baby’s unique traits, such as\u00a0hair\u00a0and\u00a0eye\u00a0colour. A baby can’t grow normally with the wrong number of chromosomes or with damaged ones.<\/p>\n

Most often, chromosome problems result from errors that occur by chance as the embryo divides and grows \u2014 not problems inherited from the parents. There’s no way to prevent chromosome problems from happening. Many women experience this type of miscarriage and go on to have a healthy, uneventful pregnancy.<\/p>\n

Maternal health conditions<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a few cases, a mother’s health condition might lead to miscarriage. Examples include:<\/p>\n